How to Make a Sunburst Mirror from an Old Clock

7:30:00 PM

This post was originally created for my contributor post over at My Favorite Finds. But I just knew you'd love to see this project here...so here's my latest DIY upcycle!Hello! I’m Rachel from Architecture of a Mom and I am so
excited to be here at My Favorite Finds today! Carrie has asked me to share some frugal décor ideas,
and I have to say that I am pretty excited about today’s project...a clock upcycled to a sunburst mirror!

One of the keys to decorating on a dime is to look at things
you already have, and cheap items at the store, in a different light.
Sometimes, all you need is a little paint and glue to make an ordinary piece
into something extraordinary!!

This clock is simply a slightly dressed up version of the
round clocks you see everywhere…schools, dorm rooms…you name it.

And I know for
a fact that this clock hasn't worked
in over 2 years. As in, I wasn't pregnant with my twin girls (who are almost 2)
when we first noticed that it wasn't keeping time. We changed the
batteries….but it still wouldn't work. So what did we do? We left it on the
wall. Yup. We are on top of things like that.

Well, a few weeks ago, I finally took it down, but I couldn't throw
it away. I knew I could repurpose it into something spectacular.

Here’s what you need to make this old clock into a beautiful
sunburst mirror.

Clock

2 packs of wood shims (find them in the window and door area of
your big box home improvement store—mine came in a pack of 14, and I got 2
packs for a little over $3)

Paint sample of your choice (I used a free sample of Valspar "Secluded Garden" paint in satin that I got via a coupon and some copper craft paint
that I had on hand)

Disassemble your clock so that you have the back of the
front glass exposed (my glass was glued into the frame, so I just used tape and
newspaper to mask everything but the glass.

Use the looking glass paint to paint the back of the glass.
You will need to do about 3-4 thin coats. The looking glass paint makes a mirror-like
surface when painted on the back of glass or clear Plexiglas. Allow to dry.

Paint all the shims. You will most likely need at least 2
coats. I did the majority of the shim in blue, but the edges are metallic craft
paint in copper.

Once the mirror surface is dry, reassemble the clock. In
order for the paint to be most effective, you need a dark surface behind it, so
I just used the inside of the clock (with the hands removed). This also allows
you to use the hanger hardware that is already on the back of your clock to
hang your finished mirror (which in turn saves money).

Do a dry run and arrange the shims without glue so that you
are sure you like the look. Then use your hot glue gun to adhere the shims to
the back of the clock.

Then hang up your mirror and wonder why you lived with a
broken clock for so long! And since the only thing I bought for this project was the shims, this qualifies for a frugal project...at under $4!

This is such a awesome way to up cycle a old clock! I love the color too! I would love if you would share this over at our blog hop http://www.ablossominglife.com/2013/03/frugal-crafty-home-blog-hop-16.html

This is too cool and from a clock. So great! Next week is Recycle/Upcycle week at The cSI Project and I was wondering if you wanted to be the guest judge. I would love to feature this project and you. Let me know!!! I would love to have you. I would just need a pic of you and all of your links so people can follow you. Thanks!! Email me dee@thecsiproject.com

Shims...now this is a fantastic way to use them! I bought a large package of them for next to nothing to use for whatever came along...this might be it. I love it and have pinned this project! Great job, it looks fantastic. Thanks for the inspiration. :)

About me

I’m Rachel, a real-life architect, wife and mom of three little girls 8 and under—including twins! I try to find a balance between my work outside the home and my work inside the home, and try to stay sane in the meantime. I love sharing new recipes, crafts, as well as homemaking and parenting tips—all the things that build the architecture of this mom.

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